Hairspray paint sold in goody bags by a local newspaper during a festival may have been used to daubed graffiti around the town.

The bags were on offer at Midsomer Norton’s Mardi Gras festival and contained copies of the Somerset Guardian and Standard newspapers, along with some brightly-coloured hairsprays.

However, it appears the paints might have been used to daub some graffiti around the town, forcing the council into a hasty clean-up operation ahead of a visit by Britain in Bloom judges on Monday.

Among the targets for the artists’ creative urges were a war memorial park and a local branch of Sainsbury’s which sported an obscene image.

Sam Holliday, Bath News and Media editor-in-chief, told HTFP: “We have done quite a lot of these functions and, like most newspapers, we give out goody bags.

“We didn’t think anything of it until we got a call from a couple of locals – someone was saying it’s all your fault.

“We want to apologise to the people of Midsomer Norton for any offence the graffiti may have caused.

“Unfortunately, I suspect it was some people who were maybe a bit younger and had a bit to drink.

“I don’t think we will be putting hairspray in the bags at any other events. We’ve learned our lesson.”